A Ghost Encounter: My Time with Simon "Ghost" Riley

Part Thirty-Two: The Performance

I bite down on my lip, hard. The sensation is a nice distraction from my anger.

Ghost tips her some money and she leaves, happy to find another customer.

Ahmad starts joyously laughing and clapping.

Hey, at least someone's happy.

Ghost looks at me with guilt in his eye but I don't have the capacity to provide a comforting look in response at the moment, so I avert my gaze.

We can discuss it later after I've calmed down, and after we complete our objective.

We continue to drink and chat for a while. Amid all this, Ahmad receives several dances and Cyra makes subtle attempts to grab Ghost's attention.

Her desperate attempts are embarrassingly annoying and add fuel to the flame of my anger and jealousy.

Ghost subtly rejects all her efforts.

Good.

As I take a sip from my drink I feel a hand land on my shoulder. When I turn to look, it's a very pretty woman. She leans down to whisper in my ear, telling me to get on stage and perform.

Huh? Me? Perform? No fucking way.

Ahmad overhears this and agrees.

"Go. Go...show us what you can do." Ahmad winks at me.

Fuckfuckfuckfuck...

I didn't think I'd have to do something like this!

Internally I'm freaking the fuck out.

Ghost looks at me and the way his eyes are narrowed tells me he's wincing, definitely concerned for me, and probably wondering what I'll do.

But there's only one thing I can do: perform.

I throw back a few shots for liquid courage, Ahmad applauds this, and I get up to go on the stage.

As I approach the pole in the middle of the stage I can see a lot of eyes on me. I even hear some men whistling at me.

God, help me.

What do I do?

Don't embarrass yourself, Breanna. If I fuck this up they'll know I'm not actually a sex worker and I'll have failed the mission.

And so I start performing, seductively moving around the pole, touching myself.

The crowd likes it. People are throwing money.

One of the other strippers starts performing with me and whispers for me to take my dress off, saying the people will love it.

Aside from my thong, I don't have anything else on. If I take my dress off my bare breasts will be exposed.

Fuck it.

I do what she says and the crowd goes wild.

I can tell Ghost is frowning and he has his arms crossed.

Whoops...

If I can manage through him getting a lap dance he can manage through this. He's a big boy.

The other woman and I keep performing. She gropes my breasts and then starts kissing me.

What the fuck is happening?

I'd be lying if I said she wasn't turning me on but how did I get here?

I don't even recognize myself these days.

As this woman feels me up I look over at Ghost through a sidelong glance and he's staring at me with pure lust and desire in his eyes.

Guess he got over it...

As we continue performing I'm feeling more and more confident. I'm doing this decently well.

I look to the crowd and notice a man approaching the stage with a group of what looks to be bodyguards behind him.

It's Hassan.